Naruto geography
Template:Spoiler This page in particular contains (and should only contain) spoilers up to the latest episodes of the anime released and the latest manga.
The world of the anime and manga series Naruto contains various countries and locations that have been introduced to the audience so far.
Countries operate as separate political entities and are presumably all monarchies, ruled by landlords who stand equally in rank with the hidden villages' leaders. The Naruto world is similar to feudal Japan in many aspects; those countries maintain balance between themselves through nothing but power. Treaties are periodically signed, but they are generally not even worth the paper they are written on. Despite this similarity, modern items are seen throughout the series, such as movie theatres, security cameras and even modern life-support systems. Computers are also present, as are video game consoles.
The five great countries
Of the countries scattered about the Naruto world, five are considered to be the most powerful and influential of them all. These are the Land of Earth, the Land of Fire, Land of Thunder, the Land of Water, and the Land of Wind. Each of these nations is ruled by a Kage.
Land of Earth
The Land of Earth (土の国, "Tsuchi no Kuni") has seen little attention in the series thus far. What little is known is that it is oriented towards the element of earth, with many mountains and caves dotted about the country. They are not allies with the Land of Fire, as noted in the Kakashi Gaiden arc. Their hidden village is Iwagakure, the Village Hidden in the Rocks. Deidara, a member of Akatsuki, hails from this country.
Land of Fire
The Land of Fire is home to Konohagakure, the Village Hidden in the Leaves, and is the home of the majority of the main characters in Naruto. It enjoys a relatively temperate climate, with generally sunny conditions year-round. It was at first widely regarded as one of the strongest countries, but became significantly weaker after the invasion of Orochimaru.
Land of Thunder
The Land of Thunder (雷の国, "Kaminari no Kuni") has also seen little attention in the series. Its hidden village is Kumogakure, the Village Hidden in the Clouds. An emissary from Kumogakure once came to Konohagakure under the premise of a diplomatic mission when, in truth, he was attempting to abduct Hyūga Hinata to obtain the secrets of the Byakugan.
Land of Water
The Land of Water (水の国, "Mizu no Kuni") is oriented towards the element of water. Its weather is typically cool and full of mist and lakes. In some places, like the area where Haku grew up, it is very cold and snows quite a bit. Little is currently known about it and it apparently leaves itself out of most political affairs, which is understandable considering that it is an island relatively remote from the continent containing the other four major countries. Its hidden village is Kirigakure, the Village Hidden in the Mist. The Land of Water is the smallest and poorest of the five great countries, which may be the reason why Kirigakure used to hold the gruesome graduation tests that it did. In their previous graduation exams, Ninja Academy students were paired off to fight to the death; the examination committee tried to pit best friends against each other as often as possible. This is possibly the most inhumane exam ever devised, and limiting even more the number of ninja in the village. Its seven strongest ninja were once part of a group called the Mist's Seven Swordsmen, which included Momochi Zabuza, Hoshigaki Kisame, and Kurosuki Raiga. Zabuza actually attempted a coup d'état in the country, but was repelled.
Land of Wind
The Land of Wind (風の国, "Kaze no Kuni") is a dry and desolate country, but also has some of the most powerful ninja. Its hidden village is Sunagakure, Village Hidden in the Sand. The Land of Wind has been relatively uninvolved with politics until recent times, and even had a peace treaty signed with the Land of Fire. The lord ruling it, however, had been systematically cutting down his military force and transferring missions he would normally address to his own country's hidden village to Konohagakure, prompting desperate measures on the part of the Kazekage at the time. Sasori, a member of Akatsuki, hails from the Land of Wind.
Other shinobi countries
Land of Bears
The Land of Bears (くまの国, "Kuma no Kuni" is home to Hoshigakure. It is surrounded by a canyon filled with poisonous gas, and was created after a chakra-enhancing meteor struck its location. The meteor is eventually destoryed by Naruto, since the radiation that causes the chakra-enhancing effect also causes bodily harm. Its hidden village called their leader the Hoshikage, though no one in the village was anywhere close to being a true Kage.
Land of Grass
The Land of Grass (草の国, "Kusa no Kuni") is home to Kusagakure. Little else is known about the Land of Grass. Zetsu, a member of Akatsuki, is also from this country. It is probably very rich with flora.
Land of Rain
The Land of Rain (雨の国, "Ame no Kuni") is home to Amegakure, but little is known beyond that. Six of their shinobi were in the second Chūnin exam. The first three shinobi were killed by Gaara's Desert Graveyard technique. The last three were defeated by Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura, Uchiha Sasuke, and Kabuto near the end of the exam in order to obtain a Heaven scroll. The latter three appear once more during the Tea Country filler arc.
Land of Rice Fields
The Land of Rice Fields (田の国, "Ta no Kuni"), otherwise known as the Land of Sound (音の国, "Oto no Kuni"), is a small country bordering the Land of Fire and home to Otogakure, Orochimaru's own hidden vilage. The Land of Rice Fields is its original name, with the Land of Sound being Orochimaru's own name for it. Many of its shinobi were collected many shinobi, most being from the Fūma clan, to supply his need for followers and jutsu.
Land of Snow
The Land of Snow (雪の国, "Yuki no Kuni") was the focus of the first Naruto movie, in which it had been taken over by a tyrant. Its hidden village is Yukigakure. The Land of Show possesses an unusually advanced level of technology when compared to other countries in the Naruto world. Things such as railroads, airships, power generators, and volley guns are commonplace here, though the latter fired salvos of kunai instead of bullets. Additionally, their ninja wear special chakra armor that makes them virtually immune to ninjutsu and genjutsu.
Land of the Waterfall
The Land of the Waterfall (滝の国, "Taki no Kuni") consists of a large waterfall with hides Takigakure, its hidden village. Not much is known about this land, except that Team 7 had a mission which brought them here. Their only prized possession is the Hero Water, which gives the drinker enormous amounts of chakra for a short period of time, but will cause bodily harm or even death to the user. Kakuzu, an Akatsuki member, hails from it.
Other non-shinobi countries
Land of Birds
The Land of Birds (鳥の国, "Tori no Kuni") is a small country that Naruto and Team Guy (minus Rock Lee) were sent to. They were sent to investigate the rumor of the ghost of Noroimusha, as well as protect the daimyō, Toki. They eventually learned that a group of wandering ninja were hoping to take over the country. The ninja were repelled in the end. File:Untitled.bmp-paint
Land of the Claw
The Land of the Claw (爪の国, "Tsume no Kuni") is featured in episode 177 of the anime.
Land of the Fang
The Land of the Fang (牙の国, "Kiba no Kuni") is featured in episode 177 of the anime.
Land of the Moon
The Land of the Moon (月の国, "Tsuki no Kuni") will be the focus of the upcoming Naruto movie.
Land of the River
The Land of the River (川の国, "Kawa no Kuni") is where Akatsuki has their hideout. Not much else is known about this country.
Land of the Sea
The Land of the Sea (海の国, "Umi no Kuni") is featured in episode 169. Orochimaru had a hideout here, and several of his forbidden experiments were conducted here as well. One of his subordinates continued the work after Orochimaru abandoned it, leading to attacks on the local ships.
Land of Stone
The Land of Stone (石の国, "Ishi no Kuni") is featured in episode 159. It is ruled by a priest.
Land of Swamps
The Land of Swamps (泥地の国, "Numa no Kuni") makes an appearance in episode 152. Mitarashi Anko protects its daimyō, Chichiya.
Land of Tea
The Land of Tea (茶の国, "Cha no Kuni") is a small country in which Team 7 helped Morino Ibiki's younger brother, Morino Idate, win a race with very high stakes. It consists of two separate islands.
Land of Vegetables
The Land of Vegetables (菜の国, "Na no Kuni") is featured episode 187 of the anime. Naruto, Choji, and Hinata are sent there to escort a small convoy, not realizing that the country's daimyō, Haruna, was with the group.
Land of Waves
The Land of Waves (波の国, "Nami no Kuni") is a relatively poor nation, and thus does not have a hidden village. It is an isolated island, but used to be prosperous nonetheless, until Gatō set his sights on it. He broke the people's will and monopolized the import/export industry, which was crucial for its economy. Team 7's first real mission was to this country, and, with the help of the townspeople, Gatō's reign of greedy terror was ended for good.
Shinobi villages
Shinobi villages or hidden villages (隠れ里, "Shinobi no Sato" or 忍の里, "Kakurezato") are ninja villages that serve as the military force for their country. A hidden village maintains its economy by training its citizens to be ninja from a young age and using them as manpower in various missions others would be willing to pay for, from weeding a garden for a single payment to receiving a constant budget from the country it resides in for being soldiers in case the country is involved in a war. The hidden villages of the five great countries each have a Kage as its leader.
Amegakure
Amegakure (雨隠れの里, literally "Village Hidden in Rain") is a small hidden village in the Land of Rain. It seems to be a rather loosely knit village, as a fair number of its ninja seem to either be missing-nin or end up as missing-nin. Nothing apart from this is known about it at this point, but it stands to reason that its ninja specialize water-based jutsu. One can infer from the performance of their ninja that long range combat and genjutsu are emphasized, as are various breathing aids to allow them full mobility in their element.
Getsugakure
Getsugakure (月隠れの里, literally "Village Hidden under the Moon") is a hidden village in the Land of the Moon. The country appears briefly on a headband in chapter 43 in the manga and is the main focus of the upcoming Naruto movie.
Hoshigakure
Hoshigakure (星隠れの里, literally "Village Hidden Among Stars") is located in the Land of Bears. Hoshigakure was formed sometime after a strange meteorite, which they call the "star", struck its location 200 years previous. Dialog from its inhabitants suggests that it can't have been around longer than Konoha. Its leader is the Hoshikage (星影, "Star Shadow"), though the leader is a Kage in name only. The other villages do not recognize Hoshigakure as an equal, nor is there any ninja truly worthy of the title.
The meteorite itself is not that large, but it emits a chakra-enhancing radiation. No trees or plants could grow around the vicinity after it landed. The First Hoshikage was able to devise a training method to allow the ninja in the village to harness the power of the star, allowing its ninja supernatural chakra levels. Completion of the training allows the user almost unrivaled chakra control, to the point where they can solidify it as a shield or create wings for flight. It has since been destroyed. The training was eventually forbidden by the Third Hoshikage, after he realized the deadly toll the training took on those doing it. Even if one can survive the training, the side effects will eventually kill them. Only Natsuhi and Hotorubi, the parents of Sumaru, managed to survive the training, and both died eventually. The Third was assassinateed by Akahoshi, who became the substitute Hoshikage and reenstated the training. Knowing what the star did, he decided to ignore the effects in the hope of forcing the other villages to accept Hoshigakure.
During a filler arc, a bodyguard request for the star came from Hoshigakure. Team Guy team was sent as bodyguards, and Naruto joins them by bribing Tsunade with sweets. There they meet Sumaru, who hopes to become a worthy Hoshikage. Naruto empathises with Sumaru, since their goals, and general situations, are the same. Team Guy and Naruto eventually learn of the secret of the star, and it is destroyed by Naruto after Akahoshi implants it in his own chest.
Iwagakure
Iwagakure (岩隠れの里, literally "Village Hidden Among Rocks") is located in the Land of Earth. As one of the five great ninja villages, Iwagakure has a Kage as leader, the Tsuchikage. Little is known about it, but it stands to reason that its ninja specialize in earth-based jutsu. In the past, the village was at war with Konohagakure, part of which is seen in the Kakashi Gaiden arc. A large number of their ninja were slain by the Fourth Hokage, so they are not allies of Konoha.
Kemurigakure
Kemurigakure (煙隠れの里, literally "Village Hidden in Smoke") is a village alluded to in episode 101 of the anime. Its location is unknown, as are the capabilities of its ninja. The only three ninja from the village that have appeared were portrayed as rather inept, but this may not be indicative of the overall state of the village. Instead, the three ninja in question could easily be untalented outcasts.
The Smoke Shinobi featured in the episode, who were identified as the Moya brothers, were portrayed as bumbling, incompetent ninja who could barely use any sort of jutsu, if any at all. Kakashi saved a woman that one was trying to wed by force, and tied them up in the process. This event is apparently so insignificant that Kakashi could not remember it after meeting them once more. Since Kakashi's intervention would seem a product of random chance, it is likely that Kemurigakure is in the Land of Fire, given that smoke is a natural product of fire.
Kirigakure
Kirigakure (霧隠れの里, literally "Village Hidden in Mist") is one of the five great hidden villages and is located in the Land of Water. Its leader is the Mizukage. Little is known about Kirigakure, except that its ninja specialize in water-based jutsu. In the past, the graduation exam for becoming Genin was rather inhumane: students who had been friends, trained together, and ate from the same table, were pitted against one another in fights to the death. This gruesome method was cut short, however, when Momochi Zabuza, a boy who had failed to pass the preliminary exam to even attend the ninja academy, went mad and killed all of the students in that year's graduating class.
This village was once the home of the famous Kaguya clan, who had a kekkei gankai ability allowing them to control thei own bones, and the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, who were a famous group of swordsmen. The Kaguya clan was wiped out after they went to war on their own village, and at least three of the Seven Swordsmen (Hoshigaki Kisame, Momochi Zabuza, and Kurosuki Raiga) became missing-nins. The reason for the Kaguya's clan actions was their love for battle and killing. Presumably, the Land of Water was already at peace which caused the clan to attack their ninja village for their love of battle. The were soundly defeated, leaving Kaguya Kimimaro as the only survivor.
In chapter 303, this country is briefly referenced by Yamato as "the Village Hidden in the Bloody Mist", a nickname it had gained through its practice of pitting trainees against one another in order to make them into emotionless killing machines. Yamato contends that Sai was subjected to this method in preparation for serving Danzō's Root division.
Konohagakure
Konohagakure, located in the Land of Fire, is the main hidden village in the series and one of the five great villages. As such, it has a Kage as its leader, known as the Hokage. The majority of the major characters live there, and it is one of the most powerful hidden villages. Its power was severly reduced after Orochimaru's assault, but it continues to accept missions in order to preserve its image.
Kumogakure
Kumogakure (雲隠れの里, literally "Village Hidden Among Clouds") is located in the Land of Thunder. As one of the five great Ninja villages, Kumogakure has a Kage as leader, the Raikage. In that past, Konohagakure and Kumogakure were at war, and during peace talks, one of the ninja from this village tried to kidnap a member of the Hyūga clan, which resulted in an incident that ended with the death of Neji's father. Nothing apart from that is known about it at this point, but it stands to reason that its ninja specialize in lightning-based jutsu. Yugito, the jinchūriki of the Nibi, is from this village.
Kusagakure
- Name: Kusagakure (草隠れの里, literally "Village Hidden in Grass") is located in the Land of Grass. Nothing apart from that is known about it at this point, but it stands to reason that its ninja specialize in jutsu involving flora. Judging from the ninja that have hailed from Kusagakure, it can be assumed that this village is far less pleasant than Konohagakure.
During the second Chūnin exam, Orochimaru and his Sound ninja impersonated a three-man Genin team from Kusagakure using a mysterious technique which literally melts the victims' faces off. This made the unfortunate Grass-nin identifiable only by their ID tags. Later, in the third stage finals of the Chūnin exams, two shinobi from Kusagakure, Midori and Tsuba, were hired to intimidate Gaara to forfeit his match against Uchiha Sasuke intentionally so their feudal lords would win a bet on the fight. When Gaara doesn't respond, they attack him, and are killed almost instantly. In a stroke of luck, it is their deaths that keep Gaara from killing Naruto and Shikamara, since Gaara's bloodlust is satisfied for the moment.
Otogakure
Otogakure is Orochimaru's personal village, founded for the express purpose of collecting ninja for his experiments and quest to learn jutsu. Three Sound ninja, under Orochimaru's orders, entered the Chūnin Exam with the goal of killing Sasuke. However, Orochimaru was actually using them as test subjects for Sasuke's power after Orochimaru gave him the cursed seal. Its ninja used sound-based attacks, using vibration and sound to disrupt the enemy's vision and balance.
Sunagakure
Sunagakure is the hidden village of the Land of Wind. As one of the five great ninja villages, Sunagakure has a Kage as leader, the Kazekage. Gaara, Temari, and Kankurō are all high-level ninja from the village. The Shukaku was said to originate here, having been created from a dead priest.
Takigakure
Takigakure (滝隠れの里, literally "Village Hidden in a Waterfall") is located in the Land of the Waterfall. It's lead by Shibuki, who seems too much of a coward for the job at first. Nothing apart from that is known about it at this point, but it stands to reason that its ninja specialize in water-based jutsu. Also, its leader processed a type of water called the Hero Water, which was extracted from a rather old tree. It gives the user ten times their ordinary chakra level. However, the strain of its use can prove fatal.
There were six genin participants (12 in the anime) from Takigakure in the first part of the Chūnin exam, none of whom made it to the third stage of the examination.
Yukigakure
Yukigakure (雪隠れの里, literally "Village Hidden Among Snow") is located in the Land of Snow and featured in the first Naruto movie. Little is known about this village at the time. In the movie, the ninja from this village had a special "chakra armor" which protected them from most attacks while amplifying the users abilities, and their jutsu arsenal typically used ice in the forms of various animals. At the end of the movie, the snow is subsequently melted and the country is renamed the Land of Spring. It is unknown what happens to the village.
Sources
- First Official Data Book (秘伝・臨の書キャラクターオフィシャルデータBOOK, "Hiden: Rin no Sho Character Official Data Book")
- Second Official Data Book (秘伝・闘の書キャラクターオフィシャルデータBOOK, "Hiden: Tō no Sho Character Official Data Book")
- Jump's 2nd Great Hero Book's Mini Data Book (秘伝・翔の書オフィシャルキャラクターデータBOOK mini, "Hiden: Shō no Sho Official Character Data Book mini")
- Naruto manga chapters
- Based on character's ability and status
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